Q. WHAT IS HADITH? WHAT ARE ITS BASIC KINDS? The word Hadith means news, report or narration.in Islamic terminology, the term hadith refers to the sayings, actions and tacit approval of Prophet for any action. There are three basic kinds of Hadith. 1. Qawli Hadith - what Prophet said and spoke himself. 2. Fi ali Hadith- The action of Prophet what he performed and demonstrated. 3. Taqriri Hadith- which comes from Prophet silence regarding any action. There is another division of Hadith on the basis of sanad. 1. Marfu a - Hadith which sanad stretches back to the Prophet. 2. Mawqoof - Hadith which sanad reches to the companion of Prophet. 3. Maqtoo a - Hadith where student of the companion of the Prophet Tabi is the end of the sanad. There is another division of Hadith on the basis of strength of narrators. Mutawatir Hadith which is reported by such a large number of people that they cannot be expected to agree upon a lie, all of them together. Ahad Hadith which is narrated by people whose number of narrator does not reach that of the mutawatir Mash'hur - famous: hadith reported by more than two reporters. Aziz - rare, strong: at any stage in the isnad, only two reporters are found to narrate the Hadith. Gharib - strange: At some stage of the isnad, only one reporter is found relating it. For judgment of reliability of sanad and matan of the Hadith, it is divided into three categories. 1-Sahih Genuine Hadith that passes all the tests and can be regarded without any question coming from the prophet. 2-Hasan Strong Hadith but raising some doubt about the authenticity. 2-Daif Weak Hadith that raise many questions about its authenticity.
There are two kinds of Hadith according to the nature of words of Hadith. 1-Hadith Nabawi- which contains the words that Hazrat Muhammad, spoke himself. For example Holy Prophet said, All actions are judged by intentions 2-Hadith Qudsi which contains the words from Allah. For example, when Allah completed creation, He wrote in His book which is with Him above the throne. Truly My mercy overcomes My wrath Every Hadith has two parts. The first part consists of a chain of names. This is called the sanad, plural isnad, which means support because it is the authority for the genuineness of the Hadith. This particular sanad consists of eight names. Muhammad ibn Ismail Bukhari Al- Humaydi, Abdullah ibn Zubayr Sufyan Yahya ibn Said al Ansari Muhammad ibn Ibrahimm al -Taymi Alqama ibn Waqas al- Laythi Hazrat Umar ibn al Khattab The second part of the Hadith consists of words from Prophet himself. This is called the matan which means, among other things. For example, Holy Prophet said, Modesty brings nothing except goodness Maudu' Fabricated or forged: is a hadith whose text goes against the established norms of the Prophet's sayings, or its reporters include a liar. Fabricated hadith are also recognized by external evidence related to a discrepancy found in the dates or times of a particular incident.
Q. Give an account of kinds of books of Ahadith. 1-Jami It is book of Hadith which contains the Ahadith relevant to all major aspects of life. For example, Al Jami of Imam Bukhari and Muslim. 2-Sunan It is a book of Ahadith which contains Ahadith according to the chapters of Fiqh. For example, sunan of Imam Abu Dawud, Imam Nisai. 3-Musannaf The kind of work in which the Ahadith are assembled together according to theme is called musannaf, which means divided up because it divides the Ahadith according to the themes. For example, Musannaf ibn Abi Shaibba, Musannaf Abdul Razzaq. 4-Musnad Musnad means supported, because it lists the Ahadith under the names of various companions who come last in the transmission chains, the isnad, and so support or guarantee its authenticity. The best example is Ahmad ibn Hanbal work known as Musnad imam Ahamd ibn Hanbal. Q. Give an account of early collections of Ahadith. A group of people having special interest spared their lives for collection of accurate Ahadith. Many books were compiled in the early centuries. 1. Sahih Bukhari Imam al-bukhari was born in 194 A.H. and he demised in 256 A.H. He scrutinized and selected accurate Ahadith in his book. He maintained the condition of meeting of narrators with one other. He never had more than six persons in his Isnad. This consists of 7 275 Ahadith including those Ahadith which have been repeated. Sahih-ul-Bukhari has earnestly gained the reward of being the most authentic after the Holy Quran. It is one of the six authoritative books of Ahadith. 2. Sahih Muslim Imam Muslim wrote many books and treatises on Hadith, but the most important of his works is the collection Jami. Imam Muslim took great pains in collecting 300,000 Traditions, and then after a thorough examination of them retained only 4000, the genuineness of which is fully established.
3. Imam Muslim considered only such traditions to be genuine and authentic as had been transmitted to him by an unbroken chain of reliable authorities and were in perfect harmony with what had. It is one of the six authoritative books. 3- Jami Al Tirmizi This book is compiled by Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa Tirmizi. It is one of the six authoritative books of Ahadith. The Special characteristics of Jaami ut Tirmizi are, 1. It is a Sunan and a Jami. 2. Only 83 Ahadith are repeated. 3. Imaam Tirmizi (R.A.) omits the major portion of the Hadith and only mentions that part which is relevant to the heading. (title) 4. After mentioning a hadith he classifies it i.e.whether it is authentic or weak, etc. 5. He specifies the narrators names, e.g. if the narrators Kunya (honorific name) was mentioned, he would then mention his proper name and vice versa. 6. He never narrated hadith from those who fabricated hadith. 4. Sunan Abu Dawud This book is compiled by Abu-Dawud Sulaiman bin Al-Aash'ath. His primary interest was in law; hence his collection focuses purely on legal Ahadith. From about 50,000 Ahadith, he selected 4,800 for inclusion in his work based on their superior authenticity. Sunan Abu-Dawud is divided into 41 books on different subjects, each book containing manyahadith. The numbering system used by Abu-Dawud is consecutive and uninterrupted for the entire collection. It is one of the six authoritative books of Ahadith. 5. Sunan Al Nisai This book is compiled by Ahmad ibn Ali Al Nisai. It is one of the six authoritative books of Ahadith. Imam Nisai has taken special measures to collect the correct Ahadith. 6- Muwatta al-imam Malik Imam Malik ibn Ans was born in 103 A.H. He compiled Al-Muwatta. It is divided into 61 books on different subjects, each book containing many Ahadith. The numbering system used by Malik is consecutive per book Malik's Muwatta ("the well-trodden path") is a collection of two items: 1. The sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad. 2. The legal opinions and decisions of the Prophet's Companions, their successors, and some later authorities. It is one of the six authoritative books of Ahadith.
Q. Give an account Usool ul Arbiah, Shia Hadith books. 1- Al-Kafi This book is compiled by Muhammad Ya qub Kulayni. It is divided into three sections: Usul al- Kafa, which is concerned with the principle of religion, Furu al-kafi, which is concerned with the details of religious law, and Rawdat (or Rauda) al-kafi, which is concerned with various religious aspects and includes some writings of the Imams. In total, al-kafi comprises 16,199 narrations 2- Man la yahduruhu al-faqih It is collection by Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Babawaih al-qummi, commonly known as Ibn Babawaih..It is mainly concerned with Furoo al-din.. This book is a summary of the study of legal traditions. 3- Tahdhib al-ahkam It is compiled by Shi'a Hadith scholar Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Hassan Tusi, commonly known as Shaykh Tusi. Al-Tusi anaylised the traditions concerned with furu', explaining which traditions were deficient and reconciling apparent contradictions in sound traditions. 4- Al-Istibsar It is the fourth important book of Shi'a Islamic Hadith. It was written by Abu Ja'far al-tusi. These four books are called usool ul urbaih. Q. HOW IS HADITH USED IN ESTABLISHMENT OF ISLAMIC LAW The word Hadith means news, report or narration. Applied to the life of the Prophet, this term is reserved for the actins and deeds of the Prophet or his tacit approval for any action. Hadith is the second source of Islamic law. It is said, O you who believe Obey Allah 1 And obey the Messenger 2 And those charged with authority among you 3 If you differ in anything among yourselves Refer it to Allah and His Messenger 4 (Al -Nisa 4.59) This establishes the authority of the Hadith as the second source of the Islam. Hadith gives teachings on points about which the Quran has not spoken. The Quran repeatedly asks us: Establish regular prayer without speaking about the number of raakats and manners in which it should be performed. Hadith of the Prophet explains it. The Holy Prophet said, The Messenger of Allah did not leave offering four rakats before the noon prayer. [Bukhari]
This Hadith confirms four rakaats for zuhr prayer. Sunnah of the Prophet provides the explanation of the teachings of the Quran. The Quran says, Allah has permitted trade and forbidden Riba (2:275) Sunnah of the Holy Prophet provides detail of the Riba by saying, The Holy Prophet said. The bartering of gold for gold is Riba, except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount, and wheat grain for wheat grain is Riba, except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount. Sunnah of the Holy Prophet provides practical methods of Islamic practices. The Quran enjoins us: Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey Full method of the Hajj is not mentioned in Quran. Sunnah of Prophet explains its performance, as it is said. Ibn Umar reported, The Holy Prophet pronounced Talbiyah in Hajj and Umrah Sunnah of the Prophet becomes basis of Ijma and Qiyas. It is a fact that the Prophet not only taught but also took the opportunity of putting his teachings into practice in all the important affairs of life. Q.1: Explain with example, how do the Quran and Hadith work together in establishment of Sharia. Q.2: Explain with example, how are the Quran and Hadith used in working out the Islamic law? The Quran is first source and Hadith is the second source of Islamic law. The clear Quranic teachings are followed without question. Where Quranic teachings are undetailed or not clear, the Ahadith are employed. The Ahadith fill out the Quran and add teachings where Hadith is silent. Quran and Hadith are primary sources of Islamic law. It is said, O you who believe Obey Allah 1 And obey the Messenger 2 And those charged with authority among you 3 If you differ in anything among yourselves Refer it to Allah and His Messenger 4 (Al -Nisa 4.59) This establishes the authority of the Quran and Hadith as the first and second source of Islamic law. The Quran gives the basic principles and fundamental rules of Islamic beliefs and practices. The Quran repeatedly asks us: Establish regular prayer
without speaking about the number of raakats and manners in which it should be performed. Hadith of the Prophet explains it. The Messenger of Allah did not leave offering four rakats before the noon prayer. [Bukhari] This Hadith confirms four rakaats for zuhr prayer. Hadith of the Prophet provides the explanation of the teachings of the Quran. The Quran says, Allah has permitted trade and forbidden Riba (2:275) Sunnah of the Holy Prophet provides detail of the Riba by saying, The Holy Prophet said. The bartering of gold for gold is Riba, except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount, and wheat grain for wheat grain is Riba, except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount Sunnah of the Holy Prophet provides practical methods of Islamic practices. The Quran enjoins us: Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey Full method of the Hajj is not mentioned in Quran. Sunnah of Prophet explains its performance, as it is said. Ibn Umar reported, The Holy Prophet pronounced Talbiyah in Hajj and Umrah Quarn and Sunnah of the Prophet become basis of Ijma and Qiyas. These examples show that Quran and Hadith work side by side and together in establishment of Islamic law. Q. Trace the process by which the Hadith were collected in the early centuries of Islam. History of Hadith compilation can be divided into three ages. They are as follows: (i) The age of Prophet and his companions (from the advent of Prophet up to the 110 A.H.) (ii) The age of students of Prophet s Companions known as Tabieen (from 111 A.H. up to 170 A.H.). (iii) The age of the students of Tabieen known as Tabaa Tabieen (from 171 A.H. up to 220 A.H.) (i) The age of the Prophet and his Companions: The Holy Prophet used to advise his companions to acquire the knowledge of Hadith. Like Quran, companions of the Prophet memorized and wrote traditions of the Prophet with keen interest. Saheefa-e-Sadiqah was compiled by Hazrat Abdullah s/o Amr. Sahifah-i-Abu Hurairah was compiled by a student of Abu Harairah named Humam s/o Munabbah. Hazrat Saad s/o Ubadah and Jabir s/o Abdullah compiled their own collections individually which were known as the book of Saad and the book of Jabir respectively. Hazrat Ali also compiled a book of Ahadith which is known as Saheefa-i-Ali. It is clear proof of Ahadith in written form during the period of Holy Prophet.
(ii) The age of Companion s students known as Tabien (from 111 A.H. upto 170 A.H.): Most of the Prophet s Companions had passed away when the first Hijrah century came to end. Now the responsibility of preservation of Ahadith lay on the shoulders of the companion s students commonly known as Tabieen in Muslim history. During the reign of Hazrat Umer s/o Abdul Aziz as Caliph, he sent a circular in all the cities of Muslim Empire requesting theologians to collect and compile Ahadith from wherever they could find them. In compliance with the directions of Caliph Omer s/o Abdul Aziz, theologians became active to collect and preserve Ahadith. They searched every nook and cranny of the Muslim World in search of Ahadith. The following three scholars did note worthy work in the field of Ahadith collection in that period. 1) Imam Shaabi He collected and compiled Ahadith in Kufa. 2) Imam Makhool He did a scholarly work in this field in Syria. 3) Imam Zuhri He accomplished his research work in the field of Ahadith in Madinah. The following books were compiled during this age: 1) Kitab-ul-Aathar Compiled by Imam Abu Hanifah 2) Moatta Imam Malik Compiled by Imam Malik s/o Anas 3) Jam e Sufyan Thauri Compiled by Sufyan Thauri. The age of students of Tabieen (students of companions) Known as Tabaa Tabieen (from 171 A.H. upto 220 A.H.): The third century of Hijrah calendar is known as the age of Tabaa Tabieen. This age is known as the age of climax of the knowledge of Hadith. During this Lunar century, the Muslim Scholars went to every nook and cranny of the Muslim world to collect Ahadith and other relevant information related to the subject. Arrangements were made to check the accuracy of Ahadith. A criterion was fixed to test reliability of Ahadith s narrators. The science of critical examination known as Jirh-o- Taadeel and Asma-ur-Rijal was established. Six authentic books of Ahadith known as Sihahi-Sittah were compiled by research scholars of the Muslim world. The names of those collections with the names of their compilers are as under: 1. Sahee Bukhari It was compiled by Abu Abdullah Muhammad s/o Ismael Bokhari 2. Sahee Muslim It was compiled by Muslim s/o Hajjaj 3. Jam e Tirmidhi It was compiled by Abu Isa Muhammad s/o Isa 4. Sunan Abu Dawud It was compiled by Abu Dawud Suleman s/o Ashath 5. Sunan An-Nasai It was compiled by Abu Abdur Rehman Ahmed s/o Ali An-Nasi 6. Sunan Ibn Majah It was compiled by Abu Abdullah Muhammad s/o Yazid Ibn Majah Q. What methods were used to ensure the authenticity of the Ahadith in early centuries of Islam? Third Lunar Century, the age of Tabaa Tabieen, was the Period when Muslim Scholars tried their best to compile the scattered traditions of the Prophet (PBUH). Sound (sahih), fair (hasan) and weak (daif) Ahadith were compiled separately. Muhaddithum (Persons expert in the Ahadith) fixed a criteria to test the genuineness of the Ahadith. This science of critical
examination was known as Jirh-o-Taadeel. Asma-ur-Rijal was developed for biographical accounts of narrators of Ahadith. According to these criteria it was ensured that the chain of Transmitters, isnad, was unbroken. Muhaddithum checked that the dates of birth and death of each individual overlapped with those of the person before and the person after. It shows that every individual could have met the person who was before him in time, and heard him relating the Ahadith, and could also met the person after him and related the Ahadith to him. These chains should also have stretched back to the prophet himself. Moreover, the Muhaddithum compared the, matan, the text or the body of Ahadith with the teachings of the Quran and the basic teachings of Islam as it should not be contrary to them. It must not go against common sense or people s normal experience. The text is also required not be contrary to Ahadith already accepted as authentic. It should not praise an individual, a definite location or a tribe. The text of a genuine Hadith should not give precise details of events that took place after the Holy Prophet s time. Lastly it should not contain expressions that were out of keeping with what Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H) might be expected to use. To ensure the authenticity of a hadith each transmitter in the isnad must fulfill certain qualities. He must be of firm faith. That is, he should be known for the scrupulous observance of the ordinance of the religion. He must have the reputation of truthful and honest in all his dealings. He ought also to be competent in Arabic. The transmitter must be a person of sound mind, good memory, and good and upright character. Another method they employed was to look for Ahadith that had been reported by many different Companions and came down to them through chains of different transmitters. This told them that the Ahadith had been witnessed by a number of people and so were likely to be genuine. However they rejected hadith whose chains of transmitters were questionable. Many stories are reported about al-bukhari s travels to collect the Ahadith. Such was the position of extreme caution that once Imam Bukhari went to a Muslim who knew a Hadith. But when the Imam saw that the person was prompting his horse by showing it an empty barrel of food in order to get it inside its premises, the Imam returned back and said that when he is deceiving his horse, how he can be fair with Hadith. Q. How is Hadith used in establishment of Ijma? Ijma is the third source of Islamic Law. It means, agreeing upon or uniting in opinion. It is the unanimous agreement of the Islamic Community on some aspect of law. For the support of Ijma, the Holy Prophet said, Gather together the righteous from among my community and decide the matter by their counsel and Holy Prophet said, My community will never agree upon an error. These references indicate that Hadith allow the use of Ijma. It has been accepted that agreed view of the community is binding upon Muslims in legal. Decision of Prophet based on Ijma is, At the time of Uhd encounter, Holy Prophet decided to leave the town to meet the enemy rather than to stay at Madinah because the opted decision was the unanimous decision of his companions. This example shows that how Prophet himself practiced Ijma.
Q. How is Hadith used in establishment of Qiyas. Qiyas literally means measuring or ascertaining the length, weight or quality of something.. Quays means essentially to use human reasoning to compare an existing situation with one for which legislation already exists. Qiyas is comparison to establish equality or similarity between two things. Qiyas is the most important method of Ijtihad. It cannot be exercised against any Nas of Quran and Sunnah. Qiyas is exercised with the help of these four pillars, Asl: the fundamental teaching Far: the new matter in question Illah: the linking cause that connects them Hukm: new judgment Examples of Qiyas exercised by Prophet. Once a woman came to the Prophet and stated that her mother (in some traditions her sister), who had solemnly declared to perform Hajj, had died before doing so. She asked if it was necessary to perform Hajj on her mother s behalf. The Prophet paused for a while & then said, Verily what would you do if she had left debts repayable. Naturally you would pay. Here the Illa or effective cause in both cases is the fulfillment of obligations. Another example of Qiyas is as follows: There was also the incident at the signing of treaty of Hudaybiya, when at the insistence of the representative of the Makkans, he Prophet Muhammad asked Hazrat Ali to change his name from Muhammad, the prophet of Allah, to Muhammad ibn Abdulah. Hazrat Ali, however did not obey out of respect of dignity. Hazrat Muhammad did not make any objection to this exercise of his personal judgement. Conditions of Qiyas There are necessary conditions for Qiyas. Qiyas must be according to basic principles of Quran and Hadith. The aim of Qiyas is not to alter any Quranic or Sunnah law or text (Nas). Moreover it should be understandable for the Ummah. Its reasoning should be easily comprehended by human intellect. Qiyas is redundant where Nass is there.